Christmas Kitten
by LilyTheNinjaGirl
Summary: Three weeks before Christmas, Marinette rescues a kitten. As she nurses it back to health, she begins to notice the similarities between the kitten and Chat Noir. More accurately, she begins to notice Chat Noir. Marinette always thought that Adrien was the only one who could make her heart beat faster, but know she's not so sure. LadyNoir/MariChat/Adrienette. Oneshot. K


**A/N: Hey everyone! Another oneshot! This one I reaaallly long! I loved this idea so much and I kinda just kept writing and writing and writing XD Anyway, a shoutout and a HUGE thank you to Queen-Got-Swag who came up with this idea!**

 **Christmas Kitten**

Marinette shifted all of her bags into one hand so that she could use the other to straighten her jacket. Dusk was approaching, and she wanted to get home before dark. She was confident that she could take down anybody lurking in an alleyway as Ladybug, but she had been Christmas shopping all day and she really did not want to break or lose anything in her bags. Christmas was still three weeks away, but Marinette always liked to get a head start on the holiday rush, especially since many of her gifts included lots of sewing and that took time.

She turned down the street that would lead her home. She could smell the pastries from all the way down the street. She sighed. Winter was a magical season in Paris, and definitely her favorite time of the year. She continued to walk towards the bakery. Suddenly, a quiet meowing sound stopped her in her tracks. Marinette glanced left and right, and then looked down, peering into the shadows. She heard the meowing sound again.

Setting down her bags, she got down on her knees and peered into the corner. Nestled between a trash can and a pile of rubbish was a tiny black kitten. His dark coat made him nearly invisible in the darkness, but his eyes gave him away. One was bright blue, the other a vibrant green. The kitten meowed again, sounding miserable. His fur was dirty and matted with dirt. He had scratches all over his back. Marinette wasn't a huge fan of cats, but any person capable of ignoring the poor helpless creature had to be a monster.

She made a little kissy nose at it and reached her hand out. The kitten flinched, but he didn't immediately retreat. He looked up at her and cocked his head to the side. Marinette slowly crept her hand towards him until it was right in front of his dirty pink nose. The kitten sniffed her hand hesitantly. She reached up and rubbed his head. At first it seemed as though he would run away, but he eventually started purring and rubbing against her hand. He shuffled closer to her and she scooped him up. He burrowed his head into her jackets.

Upon further inspection of the tiny cat, Marinette noticed that the tip of his left ear was gone. She also learned that he couldn't have run away no matter how scared he was, because his leg was deeply cut. It was crusted with dry blood. Marinette picked up her bags again and sped up her pace as she headed for home. She struggled to open the bakery door while holding her bags and a kitten. Slipping inside, she set her bags down on the counter and went to find her parents.

Tom and Sabine were both in the kitchen. Sabine was preparing dinner and Tom was busy trying to steal bits of food from underneath her nose. Tom looked up at Marinette as Sabine slapped his hand away for the hundredth time. His eyes swiveled down to the dirty ball of fur in her arms. "What have you got there, Marinette?"

"It's a kitten, Papa. I found him in the alley outside. He's dirty and he's hurt," she said. Sabine turned to look at the kitten.

"You should take that kitten to the animal hospital," Sabine said. Marinette nodded. "Tom, will you look up the address and the hours and take her over there?"

"Sure honey," Tom agreed. He grabbed his phone and his keys. "Get a blanket for the kitten, Mari. He'll get your coat all dirty."

Marinette wrapped the kitten in a fluffy white towel and climbed into the car with her father, who was looking up the address for the local animal hospital. Sabine waved at them before she went back to cooking dinner, happy to be free of distractions and her meddling husband.

###

Tom and Marinette returned two hours later. Sabine came out to greet them. "You were gone for two hours!" she exclaimed. "I was starting to worry!" The sound of a purring cat brought her attention to the backseat of the car. That kitten was sitting there, in noticeably better condition. "Why do you still have that kitten? You know I don't want any pets in the house!"

"The animal hospital said that they were full to the brim. They fixed him up and gave us some medicine, and they asked us if we could take care of him until he's fully healed and then they'll find him a home," Marinette said. Sabine sighed.

"I was the one who said it was alright, honey," Tom admitted. "He'll only be here for a week tops."

"Okay," Sabine relented. "But what are we supposed to feed it?"

"The animal shelter gave us some food and stuff!" Marinette said. "I'm going to name him Nick!"

"Why Nick?" her father asked.

"Because I found him during the Christmas season. St. Nicholas. Nick," Marinette explained. "Besides, I think it's a good name for him. And it's a more creative name for a cat then Chat Noir." Tom chuckled.

"Sounds good to me, Sweetie. Now let's go eat dinner! I'm starving!"

###

After dinner, Marinette brought Nick to her room, where he promptly snuggled himself under her covers. Marinette smiled. She was super happy that her mother had allowed her to keep the kitten. If only for a week... Marinette had started to grow a soft spot for cats, particularly cats who fought with her alter ego and visited her multiple times a week. Suddenly, Marinette heard a loud squeaking sound and turned to see Tikki fly out of the kitten's reach just in time to avoid its claws. She giggled.

"I'm going to stay over here," Tikki laughed nervously. "That kitten is nothing like Plagg. In fact, he's much better behaved than Plagg is." Marinette bit back a laugh as she thought of how often Chat complained about his annoying kwami. She could tell that Chat really loved Plagg, however. He was a very loving person.

" _Now where did that thought come from_?" she asked herself suddenly. She shook her head. She must be really tired if she was thinking about Chat. That would certainly not one of her daily activities. Actually, it was an activity that she had subconsciously banned herself from. It led to questions. And besides, the only boy who deserved her thoughts was Adrien, right?

Marinette prepared for bed. When she got out of the shower, she found Nick asleep on her pillow. So she got another pillow from her longue and settled herself in beside the kitten. She drifted off to sleep, already excited about the school day tomorrow (which was absolutely crazy for her). She couldn't to show Alya pictures of Nick. Her best friend would likely explode.

###

It was a normal school day as far as Adrien Agreste was concerned. He had a photoshoot the night before, so he hadn't been able to visit his princess. His limo rolled into school ten minutes early, he met up with Nino, and the two boys headed to class and took their seats. About three minutes later Marinette skidded in and dashed to Alya.

Now Adrien didn't generally eavesdrop, and he disapproved of the practice, but he was a curious cat and eventually he began to wonder why the two girls behind him were screaming their lungs off. Nino had the same thought because he decided to force his way into their very loud conversation. "What's the big fuss about?" he asked the girls.

"Marinette's new kitten!" Alya squealed, yanking the phone out of her best friend's hand.

"Mari got a kitten? Dude I thought your mom didn't want pets in the bakery!" Nino said.

"Nick's not mine, I found him last night in bad shape. We're taking care of him until he's healed because the animal shelter is overflowing," Marinette explained. Adrien didn't know why, but his heart fluttered when he saw the smile on Marinette's face... and it instantly stopped when he saw the picture on Marinette's phone.

The kitten, 'Nick', was very adorable. He was all black with one green eye and one blue eye. He was alseep on Marinette's pillow. Adrien growled. Only he could sleep on Marinette's pillow. Nino put his hand on the model's shoulder. Adrien started.

"You okay dude?" Nino asked.

"Yeah, my stomach is just a bit... upset," Adrien lied. His stomach was tightening. It was just a kitten! Marinette was taking care of him for a few days! He should be focusing on how kind she was, not how jealous it made him. He shook his head. He was jealous of a tiny fuzzball?

" _Yes_ ," a little voice in his head told him. " _Yes you are jealous of a 'little fuzzball_ '."

The bell rang and the girls quieted. Adrien and Nino twisted back around in their seats to face the front and the class began. The day continued as normal. After school, Adrien had piano, fencing, and Chinese. Finally, he was free for the day. He immediately transformed and headed to Marinette's house.

When he got there he didn't even bother tapping on the trap door. He just dropped right in. Marinette was startled, looking up from where she was lying on her stomach on the floor. Nick was in front of her, batting at a piece of string she was dragging in front of him. "Hey Chat," she greeted him.

"Hello Princess," he said, flopping down beside her and glaring at the kitten. Nick hissed. Chat hissed back. Nick batted a claw at Chat. It took all of Chat's will to stop himself from throwing the kitten across the room.

"He doesn't seem to like you very much," Marinette laughed. "That's so weird. He loved everyone else he's met! You'd think you two would get along because you're both cats!"

" _You'd think_ ," Chat thought to himself sarcastically. He turned to look at Marinette, who was petting Nick. The stupid tiny cat was purring vivaciously, shooting Chat Noir what looked like a very smug kitten look. Chat couldn't stand it any longer. He rolled over to Marinette and butted his head against hers.

"Ow! Hey, Chat!" she complained. Chat didn't care. He rubbed his head all over hers, purring softly. "Chat what on earth are you doing?"

"Marking what's mine," Chat answered. He stood up. "Sleep well! See you tomorrow!" And then he was gone. Marinette was left staring at the window. She almost wanted to blush. Nick hissed. Marinette stood up and shut her trap door, surprised to find that her heart was beating slightly faster than normal.

###

About an hour later, Marinette transformed into Ladybug and headed out to patrol. After nearly an hour and a half of running around on the rooftops, she headed to the Eiffel Tower. Chat was already there, staring at the stars. Ladybug took advantage of his distractedness by sneaking up behind him. She pounced. Chat shrieked as he fell over, floundering wildly as Ladybug tackled and pinned him. She had a sudden thought.

Chat squirmed and wriggled as she began to tickle him. They were both laughing so hard that tears were streaking down their faces. Ladybug's fingers were merciless. Chat could barely breathe. And then as suddenly as Ladybug had started, she stopped. She stood up and stepped back a few feet, giving Chat space to pick himself up. He rolled over and crouched on all fours before standing up.

" _He acts like a real cat sometimes_ ," Ladybug realized. She had always joked about how he brought bad luck and couldn't land on his feet, but now she was starting to realize how many cat instincts and behavioral tendencies came with his suit. It was kind of cool. It was also kind of adorable. " _Stop thinking like that! Think of Adrien!_ "

"Ladybug?" Chat asked her. She snapped out of her thoughts. He had his hand on her shoulder and he was looking at her.

"Sorry Chat! Just got a little distracted!" she laughed, removing his hand from her shoulder. She noticed that his ears perked up as he smiled.

"No problem, m'lady. We should probably call it a day. I'm tired!" Chat said. He was thinking of the mountain of homework on his desk. Of course he would rather hang out with Ladybug forever. But when responsibility calls... well, he had been raised to answer that call.

"Sounds good! See you tomorrow Chat!" Ladybug said. She watched his ears flicker around, listening to the sounds of the night. He gave her a two fingered salute before catapulting himself off of the roof. She chuckled and turned for home. Still, a little song stuck in the very back of her brain was bugging her. She had always assumed that her entire brain would sing, " _Adrien! Adrien! Adrien_!" So why was a tiny piece of it singing, " _Chat Noir! Chat Noir! Chat Noir!_ "?

###

It was a week until Christmas. School would be out in two days. Marinette should be celebrating but instead she was panicking. She had perfect gifts for everyone, EVERYONE, all made, wrapped, and ready to go. She had presents for her Maman, Papa, Alya, even Manon! But she had two people who she couldn't find presents for. Two people with blonde hair and green eyes. Two people who (she denied it for one of them) made her heart beat faster.

Interestingly enough, last year she had given Adrien a scarf for his birthday and a hat for Christmas. She had also given Chat a scarf for his birthday (she didn't have any idea when it was, she had just given it to him randomly one day) and she had given him a hat and mittens for Christmas (in Adrien's perspective, he had received two scarves and two hats from different people, that looked different, and therefore was an amusing coincidence and nothing more).

So now she didn't know what to give the two blonde boys this year. She of course had considered cookies or other baked goods, but Adrien was a model and might have a strict diet, and Chat ate her cookies when he visited Marinette, so she couldn't risk it. Christmas sweaters? Cheesy... Any other clothes would require measurements. She had Adrien's measurements (no, she was not embarrassed by that) and getting Chat's would be easy enough, but it would be really creepy because they'd never know how she got them.

A small meow snapped her out of her thoughts as Nick rubbed his head against her sock. " _Marking what's mine_ " Marinette thought with a chuckle. The kitten had been here for four days and she was starting to get attached. Watching him was extremely amusing. She often found herself subconsciously comparing him to Chat Noir.

Speak of the devil and he shall come. Chat slipped inside of her room, grabbing a cookie and plopping down at Mari's feet. Nick hissed at him but stalked across the room to the other side. Nick had avoided Cat ever since a little cat-fight that the two of them had yesterday, which amused Marinette.

"Still jealous of the kitten, mon minou?" she giggled. Chat rolled his eyes.

"Yeah that's right, Je suis ton minou!" he stated, glaring at Nick and then looking back up at Marinette. (Je suis ton minou=I am your kitten) "Watcha doing?"

"Oh, just stressing over presents..." Marinette sighed. She stood and crossed the room. "I have a few people on my list that I just can't think of things to get!"

"Who?" Chat asked, following her across the room. The curious and adorable look on Chat's face and his twitching nose made her do something that immediately horrified her. She blushed. She whirled around and clapped her hands over her face. "Princess? Marinette?"

Marinette turned away from him to go back to her desk, but he followed her. "You need to relax and stop stressing over it!" He wrapped his tail around her waist and tugged her towards her chair. Her cheeks turned an even darker shade of red. She sat down and tried to hide her face from him.

"Sorry Chat," she managed to choke out. "Tonight's just not my night..."

"Your face is really red, Princess. It's pretty hot in here and you're wearing flannel. Do you want me to turn down the heat?"

" _Yes please!"_ Marinette thought frantically. "Um... yeah. Could you turn down the thermostat? I'm really... warm."

"You're really hot, too!" Chat said flirtatiously, winking. He crossed the room to turn down the heat.

" _Somebody kill me_!" Marinette groaned to herself. " _That wasn't even good! I'm supposed to be impervious to his charm! Why is my heart beating so fast?_ "

Chat returned and flopped down by her chair. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair, because she knew that was what he wanted. He began purring. Marinette couldn't handle this right now. Nick was staring at her with a bemused kitty look. Marinette found Tikki hiding on her shelf. 'Help me!' She mouthed.

Suddenly, she heard her mother's voice. "Marinette, honey, are you there?" Chat stiffened.

"See ya later, princess!" he whispered into her ear. Then he turned and scampered out into the night. Marinette took in a shuddering breath as she tried to slow down her heartbeat and return her face to its normal color. She waited for the sound of her mom's footsteps on the stairs.

"Maman?" she called. Tikki flew down and snatched up a cookie. "Tikki! She'll see you!"

"That was me calling for you," Tikki said. "You're welcome. A certain cat had you very flustered, didn't he?"

"Shut up Tikki," Marinette groaned. "This isn't right! I love Adrien! I've always loved Adrien!"

"Okay," Tikki said.

"Okay? You're supposed to agree with me!" Marinette protested. Tikki just smiled softly and grabbed another cookie.

###

Marinette let her thoughts haunt her for another day. She saw Adrien at school. She tried to talk to him. It came more easily, it was disappointing. He smiled. She didn't blush. She doesn't spend all class period staring at him. He joked with her. She laughed. Her heart doesn't beat faster. She had to face it.

She'd fallen out of love with him.

She'd fallen in love with her partner.

It's killing her.

She loves Chat so much. She just hadn't realized it. He's the kindest, most brave, most selfless person on earth. He's always there for her. He takes hits for her. He comforts her. And unlike Adrien, she knows Chat. She knows that he doesn't feel appreciated. She knows that his smiles are forced. She knows that he loves cookies and hot chocolate and warm hugs. She knows that he will always put everyone else before himself. She knows that he loves Ladybug. She know that he loves Marinette. She knows his heart is torn.

She has to tell him. She wants him to feel loved. He deserved to feel loved. He deserved everything she could give him. And she wanted him to know that he wasn't going to be alone for Christmas. She saw how unhappy he was last year. She saw his frowns and the pain in his eyes when she asked him if he was spending it with his family. But she was scared.

How does she tell the person that she's been rejecting for two years that she loves him? She pondered the question all day. She pondered it as she checked the LadyBlog and noticed there was an akuma. She pondered it as she found a place to hide and transformed. She pondered it as she and Chat Noir fought back-to-back, perfectly in sync. She pondered it as she purified the akuma. She pondered it as she bumped her fist against his and he turned to leave. She couldn't let him go.

"Wait! she said. He paused, turning back around.

"Yes?" His eyes bore into her soul. He was so earnest. He looked like he would wait a century for her.

"I..." She blanked. "I..."

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

"I love you," she whispered. His face changed to shock, and then to disbelief. Had he heard right? Was she joking?

Ladybug turned as red as her suit and went to lean against the air vent beside her for support. Only to realize that there was no air vent beside her. She stumbled. Her heel hit the roof, she dropped her yoyo, and suddenly she was falling, falling, falling. She heard her earrings beep a final time as she plummeted to the ground...

Only to have a strong pair of arms wrap around her and pull her close. She buried her head in his shoulder, his hair was brushing her cheek. He landed on the ground just as her transformation wore off. A flash of pink and she knew she was Marinette again. Chat nearly dropped her.

"M-Marinette?" he stuttered in shock. Marinette couldn't handle it. She ran. "Marinette!" She heard him yell behind her. She didn't care. She ran. Not to the bakery. Chat knew the bakery. Chat could get into the bakery, even if she locked it. He could pick the lock, and she knew he would. She ran to Alya's house, slamming the door and running to her best friend's room. Alya looked up in surprise as Marinette collapsed onto her bed and sobbed.

###

Chat Noir checked the bakery both as his alter ego and as Adrien. The Dupain-Chengs were delighted to see him, but they informed him that Marinette was spending the night at Alya's house, and even showed him her recent text as proof. He thanked them, was forced to accept a croissant, and headed for home.

"I love you." Her whispered words rang in his ears over and over again. He heard them loud and clear. His heart wanted to burst She loved him! His lady was his princess and she loved him! She looked so scared. Scared of rejection. He could never reject her! He loved her too damn much. But he needed to let her know that.

She would avoid Chat, he knew that. She would avoid him at all costs. So he would have to approach her as Adrien. But how? As he walked home, he formulated a plan in his mind. He was helped (much to his surprise) by Plagg. He also called Nino to finalize some details. Nino had no idea why Adrien suddenly wanted to lay the moves on Marinette, but he didn't care. He would be gaining thirty bucks from Alya if it happened. And he had been shipping Adrienette for years.

The next morning, Adrien woke up feeling giddy. He dressed warmly, but nicely. He combed his hair. He brushed his teeth. And then he headed to school. He stopped at a flower shop and got a beautiful bouquet of flowers, mostly consisting of red roses and pink lillies. He met Nino at the front steps of his school.

"You got the flowers? I got the mistletoe!" Nino said excitedly. They fist-bumped.

"Let's do this!"

###

Alya hadn't pried, which Marinette was extremely grateful for. Her best friend knew that when Marinette needed to cry, Marinette needed to cry. Marinette texted her parets and told them that she was staying at Alya's house. She couldn't face Chat Noir tonight. She didn't think she could ever face Chat Noir.

What if he rejected her? What if all of his flirting was a joke? What if he flirted with every girl? "No," Marinete told herself firmly. "That's not Chat Noir." Still, she found herself tossing and turning all night. The next morning, the only thing that made her go to school was Alya, who swore that whoever had made Marinette that upset would soon be buried in her backyard.

The two girls got to school a few minutes early, where Alya was immediately swarmed by Nino. Nino seemed very excited to tell her something, and apparently he had to tell her alone. So he dragged Alya off and left Marinette to walk to class by herself. Marinette sighed and began walking through the nearly empty hallways. She walked through a doorway and stopped short.

Adrien Agreste was standing there with flowers. Flowers that he held out towards her tentatively. She took a step backwards, prepared to flee from a boy for the second time in a 24 hour radius, but he grabbed her arm. "M'lady."

She turned around. "What?"

"M'lady," Adrien continued. "I love you so much. Both Marinette and Ladybug. You are the kindest, most caring, and bravest person I have ever met. You're so beautiful it makes me want to melt just looking at you. And I could never, ever be disappointed in anything you do. Ever. I just hope you aren't disappointed that I'm the boy under the mask."

"Chat?" Marinette asked, tears forming in her eyes. Adrien ducked his head. "Oh my goodness..." She was speechless for a few seconds. Then she took a deep breath. "I love you too Adrien, Chat, whoever. I love you so much and it took me so long to realize. You mean the world to me." She stepped forward to give him a hug, but he stopped her.

"Ah ah ah," he shook his head while pointing up. Marinette followed his finger to the top of the door frame, confused. She smiled as she saw the mistletoe.

"As you wish," she said sweetly. And then she kissed him. She kissed him so hard that when she finally gasped for air, both of their lips were swollen. His hair was a mess and his eyes were glazed over. He looked so dazed and adorable and kissable that she wanted to kiss him again. She did.

###

Two days later, only a day before Christmas, Marinette and Adrien brought Nick to the home of his new family.

"You know what Nick, how about a truce?" Adrien asked. Nick climbed into his arms and purred. Marinette smiled. She pulled Nick away from Adrien and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks for everything Nick. If it weren't for you, I might never have noticed what my heart was screaming at me. I almost don't want to let you go!"

"But you are going to, right?" Adrien asked, sounding panicked. "The little girl getting him for Christmas would be so disappointed and-" Marinette started laughing.

"Of course, silly. You're the only cat I need. Mon minou!" She said, smiling.

"Yup!" Adrien said, butting his head against hers. "Ton minou."


End file.
